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I'm OK being left behind, thanks

shkspr.mobi

631–640 of 800 posts

Re: I'm OK being left behind, thanks

#631

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How you objectively measuring success? 93% of Developers Use AI Coding Tools. Productivity Hasn't Moved. - https://philippdubach.com/posts/93-of-developers-use-ai-codi... - March 4th, 2026

They measured 16 developers and called it a "study"? That is amusing. Not to mention it was conducted almost a year ago, the tools have already changed dramatically.

> Not to mention it was conducted almost a year ago

false. The article is from 4th of March 2026, less than a month ago.

Re: I'm OK being left behind, thanks

#632

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It's use AI or be replaced by AI I think they want to sell that perception, but the biggest thing the tech execs want in their SWEs is fear. Fear that makes us stay in our jobs, even when raises and bonuses stagnate, because the market is scary with all the "AI layoffs" (which have largely been regular downsizing with the AI label slapped on). Fear that makes us use the LLMs and then put in extra hours when we don'…

I think you're right that it is fear. But it's kind of a self fulfilling fear. Teams are requiring employees to use AI, probably because of this fear. Maybe it isn't directly taking my job, but it is necessary for me to use Ai to keep my job.

I agree that it's self-fulfilling. I just feel that it's being used more as a tool for compliance than for direct productivity.

Re: I'm OK being left behind, thanks

#633
post #560

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's not their stated goal. Their stated goal is to maximize impact, not their own happiness.

Impact is nebulous. For example, Zuckerberg has had impact but it’s been almost entirely negative. The world is a worse place for him having existed.

It being signed doesn't make it nebulous.

Re: I'm OK being left behind, thanks

#634
I use AI not for what the various fraudsters hype it for. It utterly fails coding what i want each time. But it is a great tool to create things and not be censored/hindered by collaboration with humans. It liberates the lone nutters of the world to make music, create movies, do things, which society desperately tried to stop them from. Just because new things are frightening and money shies away from risk like the devil from holy water. Look at all those sequels. Each sequel in existence murdered a dozen artists hopes to create something new.

A ton of it is garbage. But 1/1000 gets to realize a vision, that could never be marketed, never be discovered and is something new entirely. For that i love it and thank those who made it..

Re: I'm OK being left behind, thanks

#635

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So just run a new study this year. I do think the tools have improved, but it should show up empirically. The only people for whom the urgency of "right now" is present is for the C-suite and investor class who are fighting to make sure they survive, but it might also be a crisis of their own making. Don't confuse your identity as a worker with the identity of the capitalist class.

You should be able to just develop software on your cellphone, right? Do you have an empirical study to support that your employer should buy you a laptop and possibly a monitor or two to help your productivity? If there's no study, why should we believe it? It's like "A study found that parachutes were no more effective than empty backpacks at protecting jumpers from aircraft." https://www.npr.org/sections/health-sh…

I think my employer should buy me a laptop and possibly a monitor or two to help my productivity because I subjectively feel they'd be helpful, and I have the market power to insist on tools that I subjectively feel are helpful. If my CEO announced that monitors are super important and everyone will be tracked on monitor space usage going forwards, I would still want to see evidence that this is going to accomplish something.

Re: I'm OK being left behind, thanks

#636

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What is too late? If you want to use cryptocurrency as a medium of exchange, go ahead, it’s right there! There’s this irony to the FOMO in crypto, which is people argue the “sensible” thing (it’s the future of money) to create FOMO for the insensible thing (it’s a lottery ticket). You’re right it’s too late to buy a lottery ticket, but the vision wasn’t a lottery, it was a medium of exchange! AI assisted coding is th…

I never said Crypto. I said bitcoin. And with AI... I am genuinely afraid my job will be automated. I'm trying to become a manager before we are relegated to minimum wage workers.

But what are you too late for bitcoin for? Go buy some!

Re: I'm OK being left behind, thanks

#637
post #480

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We all change tires with a jack and a spare? It's like a simple skill? I don't get the point your making then?

The "edge cases" make a simple task like this more difficult. What if the nuts are stripped? What if the terrain under/around the car is uneven or not solid ground? What if it's raining or snowing or hailing? What if the driver of the car is irrationally upset and kicks your tire-changing robot over? What if a tire change was requested, but it's clear (to a human) that there is more work that needs to be done?

Then you see a mechanic for the 5% of cases where it's weird? If you think AI is replacing 100% of software engineers anytime soon, idk what to tell you.

Re: I'm OK being left behind, thanks

#638

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is infinite amount of software to be made. Desires and wants never get satisfied. There will simply be more software, more features, more supported platforms, more bug checks, more tests, more CI/CD, more docs, more websites, more services, more more more. Once we solve something, we have a million new desires that we want to solve. There will be plenty of work in software, up until the time when really all kno…

Do you think all software demands are completely elastic? I don't share your confidence, it feels like it's applying the desired conclusion to the premise. For sure, newer technology prompts new solutions and new tools to use with it, but some industries are much less flexible than others. If your business serves a certain number of clients - for example, companies that work in a specific industry that's growth-const…

Competing software companies will offer more and more advanced software that handles more use cases, faster, better, with more features, with more compatibility, with more flexibility, with more integrations, with more ease of use, with more etc etc. They will propose software solutions for things that are currently not economical to provide. And other competing software companies will have to match that or do even more.

Re: I'm OK being left behind, thanks

#639
I’m in senior management and my take is - this is one of the very few times in our industry when the companies are actually both encouraging and investing in L&D at an unprecedented rate. When do you last remember a company being comfortable throwing 10,000$+ a year for you to learn a new skill and experiment at your own pace? This is why I’m encouraging my engineers so much - it’s free training! Take it while it lasts!

Re: I'm OK being left behind, thanks

#640
post #429

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's funny too you'll hear people say they reverse-engineered something (not related to today's post) and you're like "wow that's impressive" but it turns out AI did it.

I mean people use IDA for decompilation instead of reading assembly directly, and that's counted as as valid reverse engineering. Why shouldn't throwing it an LLM count as well? I think reverse engineering is one of the fields where "anything goes", it doesn't matter how you get to the answer as long as you get there. I do agree that the notion of difficulty needs to be recalibrated though, seemingly impressive RE ta…

I wonder what the distinction is, where you draw the line

Is using an LLM the same as writing JavaScript over Assembler? idk

I guess it's the same argument of doing math yourself vs. using a calculator, gets the job done

But yeah it goes back to my perspective of why be a carpenter/furniture maker when a 3D printer can just spit one out

Why milk the cow when you can just buy the milk

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